Is child psychiatric service different when provided by attendings versus clinicians-in-training?
OBJECTIVE
This study examines the clinical management characteristics of outpatient child and adolescent psychiatric care provided by attendings and clinicians-in-training in an academic institution. The authors hypothesized that no significant differences would exist between initial evaluations conducted by attendings and those conducted by clinicians-in-training.


METHODS
The amount of information obtained during an initial evaluation and the number and type of services recommended postevaluation were assessed for 429 patients treated in the child and adolescent psychiatry clinics at Stanford University by attending psychiatrists and clinicians-in-training.


RESULTS
No significant differences were found for the evaluations conducted by attendings and clinicians-in-training for the amount of data collected during an evaluation of the number or type of recommendations made postevaluation.


CONCLUSIONS
These findings lend themselves to the conclusion that attendings and clinicians-in-training offer comparable services in the assessment of new patients. Study limitations and future areas of study are discussed.
Williams
Sharon E
SE
Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, Stanford University, Stanford, CA 94305-5719, USA. sharonw@stanford.edu
Martin
Jacqueline L
JL
Dyer-Friedman
Jennifer
J
Huffman
Lynne C
LC
D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D002648:Child; D002665:Child Psychiatry / Q000191:economics / Q000379:methods*; D002983:Clinical Competence; D005260:Female; D017048:Health Care Costs; D006801:Humans; D007396:Internship and Residency / Q000191:economics; D008297:Male; D001523:Mental Disorders / Q000191:economics / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000628:therapy*; D015588:Observer Variation; D010820:Physicians; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D000078329:Workforce